What I’m going to do – Part Deux

What I’m going to do – Part Deux2015-08-242015-08-24https://mariaeandreu.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/logo-4-white-letters-with-transparent-background-wider.pngMaria E. Andreuhttps://mariaeandreu.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/logo-4-white-letters-with-transparent-background-wider.png200px200px

The other day I posted a link to a list of places I want to visit once the kids go off to college. It was a slideshow of beaches and natural pools in caverns. (There’s something so magical about those to me, for some reason, and I’ve always wanted to see one in person).

After that it occurred to me that while a list compiled by someone else is fun as inspiration, what I need is my own travel bucket list. I love going new places and I’ll definitely see more of the world once my kids are off to college. So, rather than posting a link to some arbitrary list, here it is, a beginning of a very carefully constructed one: my own. These are places not just that I’d like to go someday, but which I will very deliberately plan to visit in the next ten years. I’m starting the travel savings account today:

Tickle Pink Inn. I found this hotel while researching places to stay on my most recent California vacation. I ruled it out because it’s adults-only (and a little more romantic than I need for a vacation with just me and my teenagers). But it’s definitely a place I’ll go someday soon (I drove by it on our way up the coast, and it lives up to its online hype). Stunning beachfront within a short drive of beautiful a redwood forest. Sign me up for a room with a fireplace and a spa hot tub. Click here.

Dinner on the beach. There is something I’ve always loved about the idea of having a private dinner on a beach. I can’t quite choose which one looks more amazing. Any one of these five will do (although I think # 3 is my favorite): Click here.

Cinque Terre. While going to any little village in Italy would make me delirously happy, something about Cinque Terre just speaks to me. I am beginning to notice a theme with cliffs and ocean. Click here.

White Mountains in California. I came this close to veering my most recent California trip in the direction of the White Mountains. This is a place full of bristlecone pine, the oldest living trees in North America. I just have to hug a tree that’s 5,000 years old before I die. Hopefully next trip to California. Click here.

Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. I used to say in my twenties that I would one day get married on a seaside cliff in Ireland. Although that now sounds like a bit of logistical chore (and who knows when a new victim will show up), I don’t want to put off at least seeing them. Scotland too, while I’m at it. Click here.

A castle somewhere in Europe. It has been on my travel bucket list to stay at a castle in Europe since I was old enough to be mesmerized by Sleeping Beauty. Any one of these, although the ones in Austria and Ireland look most appealing. Click here.

Namibia. Some of the world’s tallest sand dunes are in Namibia. Also, I once read that some of the world’s only remaining hunter gatherers still live here and for years I’ve dreamed about roughing it with them. I’ll admit, I may stop at the dunes and forget the visit to the hunter gatherers, but it’s nice to dream I’m more adventurous than I actually am. Click here.

An over-water bungalow in the Caribbean. Lazing all day with a drink in hand, then sleeping at night with the sounds of the ocean all around. I may never come home. Click here. (I think #2 is my favorite).

Budapest. I would love to visit anywhere in Eastern Europe, possibly Poland (where my kids have been), although Budapest looks like one of the prettiest options. If I’m splurging for a Four Seasons anywhere, it will be in Budapest. The views are astounding. (And I’m definitely having dinner at the restaurant pictured above). Click here.

That’s it for now. I’ll update this list as new ideas come to mind! What’s on your travel bucket list?